Process and apparatus for decomposing oils



Feb. 16` 1926l 1,573,532 c. M. ALEX-ANDER n PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR DECOMPOSING OIL'Sv Filed Oct.' 9, 1919 to time in order to clean out the accnmuf lated carbon. In the preferred form, however, av separate carbon collecting' chamber is used.I and consequently most of the carbon, instead. ot settling in the bottom of the still, in a hard9 dense heat-insulating layer. is carried out et the still and. depositi-uil in the. settling;- chamber.

In the drawingl l have illustrated diagraminatically an apparatus for carryingF out the several steps niy invention. In this drawingr, l indicates a still of usual torni. supported in brick work or other convenient material, and heated yin any desired manner.

Positioned withi'n the still are a. plurality ot" spraying devices El. to which. through pipes 4 and 5. the oil that is to be eracltel is led` rl`his fresh oil is preferal'ily preheated and is. at. a pres-'sure hizeh enough so that it is atolnincd as it is injected into the still. These sprayingr devices l preterabty spray the. oil in a direction transverse with "'sper to the axis ot the still l. The sprays are also positioned near the bottoni ot the still so as to pro-:luce a-lively agitation at'y that point where the carbon ordinarily7 tends to collect.

By means oi: a pipe t3 the still is in communication with a carlton-separatine chainber T'. which may be ot any desired design. its purpose beine' to allow the carbon that is carried into it mixed with the. oil to settle. while the carbon-treed oil passes troni the chamber 'i' to pipe h' through a circulating pulnp f), thence to pipe ltl and bach' tothe .still l. i

the oil in the still l is a very heavy residuuin oil. and is maintained at a tenipe"a ture of say TOO to 8000 lt. The oil level in the still l and the carbon-saperating chainla-r T is substantially the .saine7 an equalizing pip:A ll la-inp' coiuiected to the chamber and stil! l to balance the pressure.

rlhe. h e'hter hydrocarbon vapors resulting troni the crackin;v are led troni the still l by means ot a. pipe 12 to an ordinary fractionatine' tower lil: thence tliroi gli av pipe .Il to a. condenser l5 ot any suitable design.

The, still l may be operated :t high or low pressure. The. Usual residuuuns work satisfactorily at low pressure. while with certain distillates, pressure may be used. A pressure regulating' valve for the Still is shown at 1G.

The condenser similarly is operated `at high or low pressure, dependent von particular conditions. A pressure controlling valve for the condenser is indicated at 1T.

The condensate from the traetionating tower lil may he continuously run back into 'the still. and distributed over the. hot. oil contained therein through the perforated distributing' pipe 1d. rlhis will be the usual method of operation when the. pressure is controlled at 1T. When the pressure is conremesa trolled at 1G, the condensate from the fractionafting tower 13 usually roes directto the pnmp charging fresh residunm to the still.

As a mattei' ot practice, a battery of stills l may be used` they beinpr interrruineeted so that the resi'dtuun oil tlows directly from one still to the next and eventually into a carbon-selmrator i'. and thence. through a circulatingr puinp that is ett'cctire in circulating; the oil through the whole battery oli stills.

The important point ot the invention is spraying' the oil that is to be cracked into a bath of highly heated oil, the spraying .device being immersed in the highly heated oil so that it is kept in rapid circulation an'l the deposition ot carbon Ailu'eventtal. As a corollarwto the above, the heavy high temperature oil is circulated from the still through a carbon-collecting chamber and thence back to the still. having' deposited its carbon in the carbon-collet'tot'.

lt should be understood that the essentialv `features of the invention maybe carried out. in other ways than in the particular apparatus shown.

ln some eases, a' pressure ot 5 to G atmospheres may be maintained on the still; and troni l to .2 atmospheres on the tendensen I claim as niy invention:

A process of decomposing oil, comprisin@` injecting a lighter oil in an atomized liquid torni below the surface ot a bath ot heavy oil, heated to a temperature suttiricnt to decompose the lighter oil. at such a d/pll that the lighter oil will be cracked. before vaporixation. collecting' the oil formed as the result ot the cracking'. leading said heavy oil from the still, removing the carbon therefrom and returning it to the still.

2. A process ot decomposing oil, comprising injecting' a lighter oil in an atomized liquid forni below the surface of a bath ot heavy oil heated Vto ay temperature sutilcient to decompose the lighter oil at such a depth that the lighter oil will be cracked betere ,'aporization in a. still, and circulating the .said heavy oil from the still to a carlion-reniovincfy device and then back to the still.

fl. A process of decomposing oil, comprising' injectincr oil to be cracked into a bath of highly heated heavy oil in a still and below the liquid level of said heavy oil, at such a depth that t-he lighter oil will be cracked before vaporization whereby the heavy oil is agitated, leading;` the said heavy oil to a bmi-removingr device. and collecting the oil termed as the result of the cracking'.

A process ot. deeolnposinpf oil, comprisin;r injectingQ oil to be cracked into a bath ot highly heated heavy oil in a still and below ltlO lvi

the liquidl level of' said heavy oil, at such a depth-'that the lighter oil will be cracked before fvn-poriiation whereby the heavy oil is agitated, leading the said heavy oil to a carbon-renuival chamber, and thence back into the still, and colecting the lighter oil formed as the result of `the crackin".

A process el decomposingr oil, comprising heating ay heavy oil in a still to a lernperature sufficient to decompose a lighter cil hul; insuflicient to decompose Suid heavy oil. injecting a lighter oil into Suid heavy oil below the liquid level o'l' Said heavy oil at Such a depth that the lighter oil'will he cracked hefore vaporization so as to agriiale lhe. heavy oil and keep the free carbon therein in suspension, leading the heavy oil 'l'roin said still, removingA the carbon therefrom, and returning it to the still.

(i. A process of decomposing oil, coiuprising heatingr a heavy oil in a ,still to a leinpe 'ature suflieient to decompose a lighter oil hut, insulicient lo decompose said heavy oil, inieciing a lighter oil into said heavy oil near lhe lioltom of the VAstill and ut such a depth that cracking will result: helore ,aporizetion so as Ito agitate the heavy oil y and keep the *free cai-lion lhereiu in suspension, lending' the heavy oil from said still. receiving rhecarhon therefrom, end returning il, lo llic still. l

An appar-Lilus for decomposing oil, foiiiprising a still' ci-intaiuinp; heavy oil, means to heat said still, nozzle means iur merced in the heavy oil for injecting a lighter oil in liquid l'orni into said heavy oil7 a carhon-rexnovingrv chamber connected to said stili so that the heavy oil level is substantially the same in seid carbon-removing chamber and said still, and means 'lo circulate the heavy oil through the said chamber and back to the Still.

8. A procese of cracking eil, comprising heating a. bath of resid'uum oil to a temperature suflieient to crack a lighter oil, butl not sulicienll to cause a cracking of the residuuni oil, inject-ing a lighter oil in` an atmnizcd, liquid state into the residuum oil helow the liquid level thereof, whereby it is cracked while in the liquid state by the high temperature of the residuuin oil, such injeclion of the lighter oil serving to agitate the residuum ci'. to prevent the deposition of cai-hon, and collect ingl the oils formed as the result of -the cracking'.

S). A process of cracking oil, comprising` heating' a hath or heavy oil to a temperature sullicient to cause the cracking of a lighter oil, hut not sulicient to cause the cracking el' the heavy oil, injeel'iiur a lighter oil in au aton'iized liquid stale below the surface of the heavy oil, wherehy the light oil'is cracked whie in the liquid state, and c01- vleclinrr the lighter oils formed as the result ol euch cracking. ll). Av. process; ol' cracking*r oil, comprising healingv e hath olA heavy oil to a ltemperature suilicienl lo cause the crackingr of' a lighter oil, hull not lwullicienl; to cause the cracking of the heavy oil. injeeliiur a lighter oil in an aloinizcd liquid slate lielouf' the Surface of the heavy oil, whereliy the light oil is cracked while, in the li 1 uidfilale colecting lhc lighter cilel formed as the result of such cracking', and circulating the heavy oil through a cai-hon removing device and back into the still.

In lestin'iony whereof l -zn'lilxr my signa- ILure. v

CLIYI MORRIS ALEXANDER cek 

